Bunyi brek yang ditarik sederhana kuat membuat ruang di dalam bas sekolah it bergema. Hana yang baru tertidur tidak sampai sepuluh minit membuka matanya dalam riak terkejut.

Nafasnya turun naik, menahan rasa mengantuk yang masih tidak hilang.

"Kita dah sampai" suara ceria Adriane kedengaran semula " oh my god, we finally arrived."

Hana, berserta sekumpulan remaja di dalam bas itu pantas melihat kearah luar tingkap.

Bangunan sekolah berwarna coral lembut, looking like a noble mansion in the Victorian era, dengan padang hijau reakreasi luas di hadapannya membuat kesemua mulut remaja di dalam bas itu terbuka luas.

"Welcome to Querencia High" nada suara Abraham menganggu focus mereka. " Take your bag and follow me. Kamu ada sesi pengenalan dengan pengetua sekolah ini sekarang"

"Oh my god, the headmistress?" Adriane menyambung " Hana, I'm scared. Do you think I look good? Did I overdo my outfit!?"

Adriane mula gelisah. Dia mengemas topi beret hitam yang dipakai.

Hana ketawa. Bahu Adriane disentuh
"cool down Riane, you look good. Jangan risau, if someone needs to worry about the outfit, it's gonna be me."

"Oh, you were right. You do look awkwardly plain."

Balas seorang gadis remaja di tempat duduk belakang " I mean, kau datang sini tak prepare ke macam mana?"

Adriane dan Hana mengalih muka mereka melihat kearah gadis. Tubuh gadis itu dilihat atas bawah.

An oval face, pinkish light skin tone, red brilliant lipstick, and copper gold hair color wearing button front red crop cardigan, match with red high waist pleated skirt, she circulates a mean girl aura.

" Lydia." Gadis itu memperkenalkan dirinya. " sorry lah if kata-kata aku buat kau terasa, I'm the blunt type. I say whatever on my mind."

Hana senyum kecil, try to be polite. What else should she do?

" Children!" Suara Abraham dari luar bas sekali lagi kedengaran " hurry up, the headmistress is waiting "

"Jom Hana" Adriane menarik Hana keluar dari suasana janggal itu " You too Lydia"

"Hmm." Lydia menjawab sepatah

Saat langkah mereka menjejak permukaan tanah sekolah, deruan angin kencang membelai mereka.

"Woo.." Adriane memegang beret hitam di kepalanya. Dia melihat kearah langit biru diatas " cuaca panas je, but kenapa angin kuat macam nak ribut "

Hana turut melihat kearah pandangam Adriane " this town sure is a weird one"

Langkah mereka kembali mengikut jejejak Abraham yang menuju ke dalam bangunan sekolah

"Tak ada pelajar lah dekat luar, sekarang waktu kelas ke?"bisik Adriane ketika tubuh mereka melintasi ruang koridor yang sunyi sepi, hanya bunyi deruan angin that kedengaran.

"But dah nak dekat pukul 7 malam. Diorang masih belajar ke? Patutlah sekolah ni masuk dalam senarai top 5, jadual diorang ketat betul." Sambung Adriane lagi. Mata gadis itu aktif melilau keadaan sekeliling

"Kita pun dah jadi pelajar sekolah ni Riane, you should worry about us too if kau rasa jadual belajar dekat sini ketat" Hana menyampuk "lagipun, maybe diorang dah dekat dorm sekarang"

Langkah mereka kini sampai di hadapan sebuah pintu besi berwarna merah gelap with the school logo diukir di permukaan pintu.

Sebaik sahaja pintu dewan itu dibuka, the view in front of her made Hana's jaws drop.

The view was truly magnificent, it's will take a person's breathe away everytime they saw it.

The hall was dashing in red.

Di atas pentas, sebuah meja panjang berbentuk empat segi disusun di dalam satu barisan, meja itu diduduki oleh sekumpulan manusia yang memakai coat putih.

"Children, take a seat." Abraham memberi arahan "pengetua akan tiba sebentar lagi"

"Hana" Adriane mendekatkan wajahnya dan berbisik di telingga "awak rasa why diorang let a group of doctor atas pentas tu?"

Hana mengangkat bahu " I honestly don't know Riane. I just arrived here with you."

Not like she has the superpower to read those people's minds.

"Oh! Awak rasa ada kaitan dengan sebab why they ask us to send our blood sample? Diorang nak conduct  health check dekat kita lagi?"

Hana, being the nerd and bookworm she was melayan teori yang dituturkan oleh Adriane "mustahil. Macam mana diorang nak conduct the checking hanya dengan bare hands and no medical appliance. It's impossible to even their geniuses"

Even someone like her who has an IQ of 148 can't do that.

Pintu dewan itu sekali lagi dibuka. Bunyi tapak kasut bertumit tinggi kedengaran. Kumpulan pelajar itu mengalihkan pandangan mereka, hanya untuk melihat seorang wanita cantik, pale ivory skin tone with a red trumpet silk dress, blonde french braid, deep green irises, and outstanding feminine facial features.

She was the type of woman who made a great impact on everyone who saw her for the first time.

"Hana!" Sekali lagi Adriane berbisik "look at her deep green irises. Aku tak pernah nampak anak mata warna hijau secantik tu, contact lens jenama apa kau rasa dia pakai?"

Artemis Draco made a low snickered like she just heard something funny before she walks slowly to the platform and lay her gaze toward the group of children in front of her. Her dazzling smile, makes her shine more appear " Welcome new student"  her gracious voice echo across the hall " to Querencia High. I hope you have a pleasant journey on the way here. I'm sure Abraham did a great job on taking care of you."

Abraham makes a slight nod.

"I assure all of you have questions to ask, fear not.." She makes hand gestures and from behind the school curtains, kelibat seorang remaja perempuan, with red round neck sleeveless plaid dress, amber hair that is made into a bum, and darker skin tone keluar berdiri di sebelah wanita itu. " Her name is Mylia and she will be your school guide for today."

"Awesome." Adriane disebelah Hana berbunyi lagi

Hana Evans melirik matanya kearah gadis itu " this girl sure a chatterbox"

"Before that, as this school headmistress, I feel the need to remind you.." anak mata hijau gelap wanita itu bersinar  " the three main school rules that were stated in the admission paper should be followed strictly or you will accept heavy consequences from this school administrators."

Hana cuba mengingati ketiga peraturan yang ditulis di atas kertas yang dilihatnya semalam

About wearing a red outfit in the school ground or that the classes were divided into two fractions and interaction is prohibited.

Not to forget, the warning of not crossing over to the forbidden lake.

She doesn't have to worry about that rules, she not heroic. She won't let herself get killed just to satisfied her curiosity.

"I hope these four years you be here will be one of your most momentous memories of your lifetime." Artemis still smiling, " I think we all should just skip this boring speech that you won't even care to remember the moment you walk out from this hall. Mylia, I leave them with you now. Again new student, welcome to Querencia High, the academy was glad to have you here."

" I will do my best, headmistress." Mylia menunduk hormat kepada wanita itu.

Artemis makes a soft humming voice sebelum bergerak ke arah balik curtain pentas dan menghilang.

Mylia, after making sure the woman has left, look at them with a warm smile " hai, so you guys dah tahu nama aku kan, you can just call me Lia, I'm a second year student. Aku vice-president student council for day class fraction, which will be your permanent fraction too sepanjang korang dekat sekolah in. If ada masalah apa-apa just datang dekat Amaris Building, aras tiga. Student council room for day class fraction dekat situ, any question?"

"No.." Balas separuh dari mereka where the other half cuma mengangguk.

Termasuk Hana dan Adriane.

"Cool, then korang nampak the doctor atas pentas ni kan?" Mylia menunjuk kearah kumpulan manusia with white coat yang diam dari tadi " you guys dah tahu how hard for us to get into this academy kan. So the academy has a special method to make sure no insider boleh pecah masuk ke sini without getting tanpa dikesan, since we don't have a standard formal academy  uniform to clarify us as Querencia High student."

Mylia kemudian berjalan turun dari atas pentas ,berdiri di hadapan mereka before she put her finger across her neck.

Lukisan logo sekolah mereka diukir cantik di leher gadis itu.

Mata Hana jatuh ke arah lukisan dakwat berwarna kuning itu.

" Each one of you will get the tattoo curved on any part of your body that you want, you can choose, don't worry. The tattoo ink color will be different since we have thirteen houses dekat sekolah ni. The houses will be the place where your dorm was located, or where your house's recreation room when you spend the night study hour. Your house member will act as your family, taking care of each other sepanjang korang dekat sini. Don't worry, you guys still become classmates, cuma berbeza rumah"

Mata Hana sekali lagi terbeliak "thirteen houses? For real? Her last school only have four and the mess students created from it is unimaginable, but this academy has thirteen? THIRTEEN?

" oh, jangan risau guys . The tattoo is not permanent. It's an ephemeral one, the tattoo will fade in a year so setiap tahun you guys have to repaint it." tambah Mylia lagi.

"Damn" Adriane make a say after quiet for a while " this academy not only ask us to send our blood sample, they want us to get a tattoo on the first day. Tell me, is this a school or a gothic club cause bruh, they're insane."

Hana mengangguk.

For once, Adriane might be right.

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